Category: Mobile software

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One of the key features in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is that it automatically encrypts paid applications with a device specific ID, which ensures an app downloaded on a device can only be used on that particular device. This was created to combat the rampant piracy that has been seen on the Android platform.

Unfortunately, while the idea is excellent, the execution is not, as several developers and users of paid apps have found out. Read more »

The opensource nature of the Android OS means new updates are often found running on older phones before they officially hit the newer devices.

Keeping with that tradition, today we are about to see the very latest version of Android running on the very first commercially sold Android phone. Yes, you are about to see Jelly Bean running on the T-Mobile G1. Read more »

It has been known for a while now that Microsoft will be shipping a version of the new Office 2013 with Windows RT and that it will be the only non-Metro application that can be accessed on this particular version of the operating system.

Now we are learning that Office 2013 RT, which is to be included on Windows RT will be a watered-down version of the full blown Office 2013 that you will experience on standard Windows 8 or 7. Read more »

It certainly took longer than usual, but the LG Optimus 4X HD defenses are finally breached and you can now gain root access to its system. A guy called qaz753 from the all-conquering XDA-developers community did the trick and was kind enough to share the magic with the rest of the 4X HD owners.

The method is a bit more complicated than on some other smartphones, but luckily there’s a step-by-step tutorial courtesy of our tipster that should be quite easy to follow. Read more »

Nuance, the developer behind Dragon Naturally Speaking and many other voice operated technologies in consumer electronics, has created a voice-activated personal assistant which uses biometrics to uniquely identify a specific user.

This means that you’ll be able to tell your phone to do all sorts of things requiring secure identification by simply talking to your phone. Read more »

When Google introduced the Face Unlock feature in Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, it was quickly proven to be a failure due to the ease with which you could bypass it using a photograph.

With Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, Google added the option to make the user blink so as to avoid being duped by a simple photograph. But as it turns out, even that can be bypassed by using a digital image of the user and a simple trick using an image editor. Read more »

You may be aware of the fact that the WhatsApp app was recently pulled from the Windows Marketplace as the developers are working on a new version of the multi-platform IM application.

Now, Windows Phone Daily has managed to snag some screenshots of what seems like the Windows 8 version of the application. These screenshots were obtained from the WhatsApp media page in a folder called Apollo. Read more »

The HTC Sense 4.0 UI on the new One X was a major improvement over the previous versions of the UI. HTC had toned down some of their previous design choices, which made the UI look more polished. But the performance was still lagging behind stock Ice Cream Sandwich UI and it can be seen while scrolling through homescreens and application drawer.

Thankfully, things are about to change when the next version of Sense UI hits the One X. The folks at Geeksaber have managed to get their hands on a leaked ROM containing the Sense 4.1 update and are saying that it makes a dramatic improvement to the performance. Read more »

The folks at Gameloft have chosen a rather original way to tease their first video game, which will use the Unreal engine. The company has released a piece of artwork, which suggests something bloody an epic coming our way.

To make the matter even more interesting, the developers from the video game powerhouse have hidden a hint about the upcoming video game in the image above. Read more »

The popular CyanogenMod ROM modding scene has officially dropped support for a wide array of devices running on the dated Snapdragon S1 chipset.

This means that devices running on the Qualcomm QSD8x50, MSM7x25, MSM7x27 and MSM7x27T SoCs will not see any builds beyond Cyanogen 7.x, which is based on Gingerbread. Or in plain words, no Ice Cream Sandwich by CyanogenMod. Read more »

We already know everything there is to know about the upcoming iOS 6 and let’s face it – it’s not going to be the jump Apple is trying to convince us it is. Everything is pretty much the same, with a few tweaks here and there, an overdue Facebook integration and extended Siri functionality.

The major new feature with the iOS 6 is the new Maps app, now with TomTom map data and, of course, the addition of navigation. Well, people do use Siri and navigation for sure, but those people have also been using this same tired iOS interface for 6 years now. They need something new, refreshing and they are not getting it this year.

Joost van der Ree published a few inspiring ideas that could easily fit into iOS, boosting the user experience along the way. Some of them are so obvious that makes you wonder why Apple didn’t come up with them in the first place. But maybe they have? Read more »

Samsung launched its own mobile music service in the United States. The Samsung Music Hub will be initially available on the Galaxy S III smartphones offered by AT&T and US Cellular. Availability for the rest of the flagship’s carrier versions is yet to be announced.

The service will be offered in free and premium variations with the latter set to cost $9.99 a month. Read more »